Lost
by MidnightPhantom84
Summary: Poppy Parrish. She's a bit of spit fire. Being born with bright red hair she's always been different. She was always drawn to the darker side of things. But little did anyone know that she was living with a giant source of evil. Her Father, Mr. Johnathan Parrish. Her father beats her everyday, well where everyone can't see the bruises or cuts. Will some one find out? JugheadXPoppy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One : The River's Edge**

"Welcome to Riverdale."

Where nightmares come to play and dreams come to die. Where the rich are favored and the poor are left for dead.

This is where my childhood died.

My mother's car pulls into my dad's driveway. She parks the car and I could hear her say in a soft wispher, "Get out."

I unbuckle my seatbelt, climb out of the car, grab my bag and head inside not even saying goodbye. I couldn't muster up the words, she also didn't deserve to hear them.

The car speeds off down the street and I take in a giant breath before heading inside.

I don't want to do this. Maybe I can turn around and walk away, walk away and never come back.

The door behinds me clicks shuts and I brace myself for what's to come. I look around and no one is insight. Dad is probably at the bar, getting wasted. I head down the hall and put my bag on my bed before grabbing my sketch book and head to Pop's. I would always hang out there, it's my safe haven.

When I open the door, I close my eyes and take in the smell of grease. I was home right there in that moment. The voice of a teenage girl brings me out of it by saying, "I called in an order, for Lodge?"

I look over to find the voice belonging to a raven haired girl, wearing a black cloak. She must be rich like the Blossom's. "Two burgers, yeah, almost ready, but you gotta wait."

He looks at me and asks, "Will it be the usual, Poppy?"

"Yeah, Thanks Pop." I reply heading towards my favorite booth. The one me, my mom, my older brother, and my dad use to sit before everything happened.

After sitting down I look in front of me to see the raven haired girl walking over to two people in the booth near her right. I take a closer look to see Betty and Archie.

I hope to god they didn't see me walk in. I don't feel like talking to them, I know they were trying to do the right thing but it just got me into more trouble.

Pop's came over with a cup and the coffee and poured me a cup. I gave him a smile and take a sip. He walks away and heads in the back. I set the coffee cup back down on the table and grab my sketchbook opening it up seeing the first page. It was my mom and dad. They were happy and smiling.

I quickly flip to a blank page and let go of the breath I was holding in. I take out my pencil and look around for something to draw.

What was there to draw?

An hour ticked by and I still had nothing to draw.

"Poppy."

I look up to see Archie and Betty standing there. I wonder what they're going to say. Maybe they're actually going out.

"So did you two finally get together?" I ask, the question dripping with sarcasm.

"No..We were just wondering if you wanted a ride home?"

Nope, that was the last place I wanted to be. "No I'm good. Thanks for asking though."

"Okay, well we'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yeah..see you tomorrow."

They turn and walk straight out the door. I look down at my blank canvas and let out a sigh. I'm still left with the vacant question, What am I going to draw?

I look around and I see a boy sitting in the booth to my right typing away at his computer. I can draw him.

And that's exactly what I did. I sat there and drew him until midnight. I had to quit because I was tired and I didn't want him thinking I was stalking him or something. He'd probably think I'm a giant weirdo.

I drank the last bit of my coffee and left a five underneath the cup. I figured that would cover it. Plus if it was less it would just go to tomorrows cups. I picked up my sketch book and was about to walk towards the door but a voice says stopping me in my tracks, "Since you've been staring at me all night can I at least see it?"

I turn to the side and look at the boy with raven black hair and a crown beanie, he seems really familiar. He looks up from his computer and looks me straight in the eyes, almost as if he was looking straight into my soul and digging out my most darkest secrets.

I look from him to my sketchbook before flipping to the page I was recently on and sit down at his booth, hesitantly showing him the drawing. He eyes it and says, "Wow, that's pretty good."

"Thanks, I didn't have anything else to draw so I started drawing you." I quickly look at my phone and the time read 12:12.

"Well I should be getting home." I reply grabbing my sketch book and rushing out the door. I left him there in the dust, I figured if I would have stayed any longer he would have seen the rest of the drawings. If he saw them, he'd go asking questions and those are questions I really don't want to answer.

Later that night I started to think about the boy in the beanie. I tried to remember where I'd seen him. Then it hit me. It's Jughead. Jughead Jones.

School, the second hell I have to go to. It's already been a couple of hours and I already think it would be better at home. And for me that's saying something.

At school I always find myself observing everyone. I don't fit in with nerds, the jocks, or the cheerleaders so I'm always alone.

Well that was until Betty gave a tour to the new girl with raven black hair.

 **Third Person's Point Of View**

Through out Betty's tour they came to the lounging area of the school where they found Poppy sitting in a chair drawing.

"Here is the lounge. This is the finale place on our tour. We all hang out here and do our homework." Betty tells Veronica.

Poppy was off in her own little world, drawing. When she draws the whole world falls away.

"Who is that?" Veronica asks Betty pointing to Poppy sitting in a chair over in the corner.

Betty looks over to see where she's pointing and she sees Poppy drawing. "Oh that's Poppy Perrish."

"Is she nice?"

"Yeah she's nice. We use to be best friends, but we're not anymore." Betty replies, a sad expression replacing her happy one.

"May I ask what happened ?"

"Me and Archie got into something we shouldn't and Poppy paid the price. We should've went after her and talked to her but we didn't."

"Well then we should try and fix it." She says walking over to Poppy. Poppy was a little confused on what the two of them wanted.

"Hi, I'm Veronica." She says holding out her hand.

Poppy shakes it saying, "Poppy."

"You wanna come try out for the vixens with us?" Veronica asks.

I remember last year, me and Betty tried out but Cheryl said we were to fat.

"Uh...last time I tried out Cherly said I was to fat."

"Well she hasn't seen our moves." Veronica grabs Poppy's hand and the she grabs Betty's and they head to the locker room to change.

Once they change they head into the gym where the vixen's were holding tryouts. "Maybe this will be good for me." Poppy thinks to herself as they walk to the center of the gym in front of where Cheryl was sitting, a smug smile upon her lips.

The three girls give each other a look and start the cheer, "We're blue! And go! We're dynamite! We'll take you down, and fight the fight!"

Veronica and Poppy both say, " Whoo! Go, Bulldogs!"

"Hmm." Cheryl starts. "Ladies, where's the heat? Where's the sizzle?"

Veronica eyeballs me and then says to Cheryl, "Well, you haven't seen our big finish yet."

Veronica walks over to me and whispers, "Don't freak out. Just trust me."

Veronica leans in and kisses Poppy. She was very confused on what is happening. When they pull away Cheryl says, " Check your sell-by date, ladies, faux lesbian kissing hasn't been taboo since 1995."

Poppy looks at Betty and gives her a confused look. "So let's see if you do better with the interview portion of audition."

Cheryl looks at Betty and asks, "Betty, how's your sister doing?"

"Um, Polly's fine, thanks for asking."

"Veronica, has Betty told you about her sister yet?" Cheryl asks.

Anger started to boil inside of Poppy, she knew how sore of a subject it was for Betty. "Um no."

"Go ahead, Betty." Cheryl says, "Tell Veronica about your sister and my dear brother."

"Polly and Jason dated." She says promptly.

Cheryl scoffs, "I wouldn't say "dated"."

"It didn't end well." Betty tells Veronica, you could hear the sadness in her voice.

"In fact, Jason's probably why your sister had a nervous breakdown and now lives a group home, isn't it?" Cheryl rudely says.

"That's what my parents think."

The air became icy when Cheryl says, "What do you have to say about that, Betty?"

Betty stayed quiet. "Go ahead, the floor is yours. Whatever you've been dying to speed about Jason and how he treated Polly, unleash it."

She still stayed quiet. Cheryl says demandingly, "Destroy me. Tear me a new one. Rip me to shreds. Annihilate me."

"I just..." Betty begins but gets cut off by Cheryl saying, "Finally."

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened to Jason. I can't even imagine what you and your family is going through."

"Right." Cheryl replies. "Now onto you Poppy. What about how your brother was bullied into suicide what do you have to say about that? You know how my brother and the football team bullied your brother."

Poppy was about to cry. No one had brought up her brother in a while. It had only been 6 months since he died. She kept quiet. She couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Veronica, welcome to the River Vixens. Betty, Poppy, better luck next time."

Anger boiled inside Poppy. It made her mad to see Cheryl use their family against them. "You wanna know what Cheryl, I'm not gonna just sit here and take your crap. I thought maybe you wouldn't bully us into being bitches this year because of what happened with Jason but I guess not."

She was about to leave but Betty grabbed her arm and quietly asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Poppy nods and they hear Cheryl say to Veronica, "I need girls with fire on my squad."

"I know what you need, Cheryl, because I know who you are. You would rather people fear you than like you, so you traffic in terror and intimidation. You're rich, so you've never been held accountable, but I'm living proof. That certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown? It won't last. Eventually, there will be a reckoning. Or...Maybe that reckoning is now. And maybe, that reckoning...is me." Veronica spits out angrily at Cheryl. Everyone was shocked at what she said.

"Betty, Poppy, and I come as a matching set. You want one, you take all three. You want fire?" Veronica continues walking over to Cheryl and then says, "Sorry, Cherrybombshell, my specialty's ice."

Poppy didn't go with the girls to walk around the track with Betty and Veronica after making the team she wanted to go to Pop's to get some more coffee.

First it was the River Vixens then what was it going to be going to the back to school dance they were having. It just wasnt her scene. She wanted to lay low, she knew people would start wanting her to go back to the same happy girl she use to be.

It just want going to happen.

So that night of the dance she found herself settling in Jughead's booth so she could finish her drawing. Not knowing what events would unfold.

 _It was midnight, and my old friend Archie Andrews arrived at the one place in town that was still open._

 _He was looking for the girl next door. Instead he found me and the girl in the booth next to me, Poppy._

"Hey, Pop. Betty hasn't come in tonight, has she?" Archie asks, desperately trying to find his best friend.

"Nope. Just the night Hawks in tonight."

"Thanks." Archie replies, looking over at Poppy and Jughead.

"Uh, can I sit, Poppy, Jughead?"

"If you want." Jughead and Poppy say in unison.

"What are you working two working on?" Archie asks the two.

Poppy shows him and Jughead replies, "My novel. It's about this summer, and Jason Blossom."

"Seventeen years old and how will he be remembered? As captain of the water polo team?" Archie asks.

"The Aquaholics?" Jughead asks. "Considering how he died, probably not."

"No, what I mean is..Was he doing everything he was supposed to do, everything he wanted. I mean, did he even know what that was?"

"Coach Clayton was in here talking to Pop Tate. Varsity. Does that make you, what, Mr. Popular Football God now?"

"No. In fact, I'm kind of terrified I lost my best friend tonight." Archie tells the two sitting in the booth drinking coffee.

"If you mean Betty, whatever happened, just talk to her. You know it'd go a long way." They're was a small pause before he says to Archie, "Would've gone a long way with me."

"It would've worked with me too." Poppy says to Archie. He gives her a smile and then gets up and takes off running to find his best friend.

 _Little did they know the body of Jason Blossom would be found, with a bullet in his head_.

 _By morning, everyone would be talking, texting, and posting about it._

 _We'd all be feeling it._

 _That the world around us had changed, maybe forever._

 _That Riverdale wasn't the same town as before._

 _That it was a town of shadows and secrets now._

 _On Monday, the autopsy on Jason's body would take place._

 _And on Tuesday, halfway through fifth period, the first arrest would be made._

Jughead came up to Poppy who was sitting in her booth, drawing her coffee cup, asks, "You wanna help me solve a murder?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 : A Touch of Evil**

 _I think many of us, maybe the entire town, had been hoping against hope that somehow Jason Blossom hadn't drown on July 4th._

 _That we'd come to school Monday morning, and there Jason would be._

 _Or that we'd see him and Cheryl in a booth at Pop's._

 _But that was before the undeniable, irrecoverable fact of his bloated, water-logged body, a corpse with a bullet hole in it's forehead, and terrible secrets that could only be revealed by the cold, steel blade of a coroner's autopsy scalpel, or the telltale beating of a guilty heart._

Waking up was something Poppy didn't want to do. She knew the outcome and hated it.

Getting out if bed and jumps in the shower before getting into a new pair of clothes. She slips on her socks and shoes. She grabs her book bag and was about to leave when her dad grabbed her arm. He pulls her to face him and asks, "Where do you think your going?"

"Dad," she pulls her arm away. "I have school."

He picks up the bottle and takes a drink before setting it back down before a punch lands on her face, causing her to fall to the ground. Her uniform falls out of her bag and her dad sees it.

"So it looks like my princess finally made it on the squad. Good for you sweetheart." He says heading into living room and plopping down on the sofa.

Poppy quickly grabs her uniform and heads to school. She needed to get there early so she could put on her make up and cover everything up.

When she got there she wasn't the only one who was there. It was Betty. Right when she saw her she was about to walk out but she stopped when Betty says, "Poppy, please don't leave."

Poppy walks over to Betty, into the light, showing her newly formed bruise. "Here let me help you cover that up."

She grabs Poppy's make up kit and does her make up, covering up the bruise. After her talk with Archie she was feeling better.

After that she met up with Jughead who walked over to Archie's locker and said hi getting his attention.

"Do you think I can use Jason Blossom's death as an excuse to get out of PE." Jughead asks. "Sorry, Coach, I'm just too depressed and freaked out right now to do pull-ups."

Archie shuts his locker and says, "Don't joke about Jason Blossom."

"What?" Jughead replies as Archie looks around. "Sardonic humor is just my way of relating to the world."

Poppy and Jughead looked ahead and saw the same thing. The jocks. "Look, it's the rich kids from the Goonies."

"All right. I'm out." The two tell Archie in unison.

The two head to walk away from the jocks but the jocks push Poppy into Jughead saying, "Watch it, Wednesday Adams."

Jughead caught her, thankful, and helped her stand back up. "Thanks." She replied smiling.

Moments later everyone found Me. weatherbee's voice over the intercom : "Good morning, students. This is your principle speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening, as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sherrif Keller."

There's a small pause before you hear Sherrif Keller, "Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and on going investigation."

Sherrif Keller is rudely interrupted when Cheryl says, "And may I interject, neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged, and his cold-hearted killer is walking the Green Mile to sit in an Old Sparky an fry."

"I, for one, have my suspensions. #RiverdaleStrong."

"If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend Jason's killer, or anything about what happened to him on the July 4th, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principle Weatherbee."

Jughead explains about their summer trip on the 4th and how Archie bailed on him at the last minute to Poppy as they search for Archie. They find him splashing water from the water fountain in his face.

"Archie." Jughead says grabbing his attention and freaking him out in the process. "Weirdest thing. This summer, we were supposed to go on a road trip over July 4th weekend... Which you bailed in at the last minute."

"Is there something you wanna tell us?" Poppy questions.

The bell rings and Poppy takes her seat next to Jughead in Biology. "Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up."

The teacher handed out frogs and and everyone gets started. The girls in front of Poppy and Jughead gasp causing the two to look back and see Cheryl stabbing the frog.

Poppy and Jughead turned back around and Jughead grabbed the scalpel and cut into the frog and Poppy started to get dizzy. Watching the blood ooze from the open wound he had just made her feel sick to her stomach.

Archie, Betty, and Jughead knew that Poppy didn't do good with blood. Right after Jughead made the cut he quickly turned around and looked at Poppy who is now standing up.

"Are you okay?" Jughead asks, his voice sounding far away and distorted.

Poppy's eyes began to flutter and Jughead knew what was going to happen next. He quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the class room.

Taking in a few deep breaths the dizzy feeling went away and she grabbed ahold of Jughead and hugged him, not even caring if he hugged back. Which he did.

"L-E-T-S G-O. L-E-T-S G-O." The vixen's cheered, practicing their rutien. Let's go, let's go. Go and get it, get it. Let's go, let's go. Go and get it, get it."

The music stops and Cheryl says, "Stand down, Vixens. And listen up. The weather is predicting a downpour the night of the rally but already, you're raining in my parade."

"With Jason so present in our collective consciousness, all eyes will be on me." She continues, "Will this beautiful, exotic, hothouse flower drown under the towns scrutiny, or be swamped by her emotions?"

Cheryl continues to pace back and forth. "The answer, ladies, is "no" and "no"."

"That said, I need star power. I need the Pussycats."

"Stay loose and limber, ladies, while I make a call." Cheryl instructs as she heads to go call Josie.

Veronica tries to talk to Betty but Poppy watches as it explodes in Veronica's face.

After practice she changed out of her uniform and took a shower. Changing back into her clothes Betty asked Poppy to come over to her house.

Poppy set her bag down on the ground and she says, "I really want to say that I'm sorry for what me and Archie did. We got you put in the hospital for God's sake."

"It's okay. It's in the past. I just want to move past it." Poppy replies, giving Betty a reassuring smile.

The two talked all night until Poppy had to go home. And when she did get home she didn't see her dad anywhere in sight. For one split moment she actually felt safe and normal.

The next day at school Poppy hung out with Jughead in the lounge. Most of the football players were there, Archie had just walked in when Reggie says, "And Sherrif Keller's grilling me, Mantle the Magnificent. 'Cause I want Blossom dead. When he was, like, the only good quarterback we had."

He throws the football up in the air before catching it. "And speaking of offensive tight-ends, I should've sent the cops to you, Moose. Because here's bother unsolved mystery. What exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh? Or does being with the Sheriff's son give you a free pass?"

"Keller?" Reggie asks being a total douche.

Kevin doesn't answer and Reggie continues, "I mean, let's think about it. Of a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, it's not a jock, right?"

"Now let's be honest. Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic Internet troll, too busy writing their manifestos to get laid." Reggie says. Poppy and Jughead had an idea of where this was headed.

Archie was at the machine trying to get something but it wouldn't take his dollar. "Some smug, moody, serial killer fan freaks, like Jughead or Poppy?"

Reggie laughs and then looks over at Jughead and Poppy asking, "What was it like, Suicide Squad? When you shot Jason. You guys didn't do stuff to the body, did you?"

"Like..After?" He asks.

"It's called necrophilia, Reggie, can you spell it?" Poppy sarcastically replies.

He gets up fast saying, "Come here, you little..."

He was about attack her but Jughead stepped in front of him, protecting her. But before he could get to either one of them Archie says pushing him away, "Hey shut the hell up, Reggie."

Everyone looks to the scene the boys are creating and Veronica says, "Boys."

"What do you care, Andrews?"

"Nothing, just leave them alone." Archie replies.

"Holy crap. Did you and three kill him together? Was it some sort of pervy, blood brother thing?"

Poppy was getting very adgetated by his accusations that were false. Archie pushed him and Reggie pushed back. Poppy got in the middle and was trying to break it up. Reggie and Archie got in a few good punches before Poppy punched Reggie as hard as she could knocking him out cold.

She got pulled into the principal's office and can't participate in the pep rally and can't get into anymore fights with any if the football players.

Since she couldn't be in the pep rally she still decided to the pep rally. She was standing near Jughead when Archie came over to talk.

"Girl trouble? You?" Jughead asks, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Grundy and me. We're telling Weatherbee. At least I am. And also, I didn't mean all the crap I said to you. I'm sorry."

"It's cool." Jughead replies, "Were not gonna hug in front of this whole town."

All three of them let out laugh. "So why don't we both just do that bro thing where we nod like douches and mutually suppress our emotions."

"Yeah, but as friends, right? All of us?" Archie ask the dynamic duo.

"Too be discussed, over many burgers, and many days." Jughead replies and Poppy nods in agreement.

Archie smiles and heads back into the field. The pep rally starts and the girls do their cheer and Cherly runs off. Veronica goes and talks to her and the boys play.

After the game Jughead, Archie, and Poppy come to Pop's, seeing Veronica and Betty in a booth Poppy walks over to them sits down next to Betty. Betty asks, "Do you guys want to join us?"

"Yes, but only if you treating." Jughead replies walking over to the girls and sliding in next to Poppy.

Veronica extends her hand and introduces herself to Jughead saying, "Veronica Lodge."

Jughead shakes it saying, "Jughead Jones, the third."

Veronica repeats his name and smiles, they all let out a laugh.

 _To someone on the outside peering in, it would have there were five people in that booth._

 _But I was there, and I can tell you._

 _Really , there were only four._

 _A blonde girl, a raven-haired girl, a strawberry blonde, and the luckiest red-headed boy in the universe._

 _For in shining moment, we were just kids._

 _Those bright neon lights of Pop's keeping the darkness at Bay._

 _Giving was, as all nights must, to a morning of reckoning._

In Biology on Monday, Sherrif Keller came walking in with Principle Weatherbee. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch as the scene unfolded in front of everyone.

Cheryl stood up and asks, "You're here for me, aren't you? Because of the autopsy."

Everyone, including Poppy and Jughead, looked at Cheryl confused. What could she know? Or could she possibly be his killer?

"We don't need to do this in front of your classmates, Cheryl." Principle Weatherbee replies.

"It's all right Principle Weatherbee." She puts her wrist out and says, "They'll find out soon enough."

"That won't be necessary." Sheriff Keller replies.

"Wait, Cheryl, find out what?" Veronica asks, basically for the whole class.

 _They didn't expect her to say what she said next. "That I'm guilty."_

 _As shocking as those three words were, they were nothing compared to the secrets that would come out later or the secrets that Jason's body had given up during the autopsy._

 _That Jason didn't die on the 4th, as we believed, but over a week later._

 **A/N**

 **This next chapter maybe short but it's not on the Riverdale episode. I do warn you it may be short.**


	3. Chapter 2 and a half

**Chapter 2.5 : Bad Endings, New Beginnings**

It was the weekend and Poppy had nothing to do. She laid on her bed and finished her drawing of Jughead and then put it on the wall with her other drawings she had of her friends with some other drawings.

She puts her book down and looks out the window. She wondered what Jughead, Archie, Betty, and Veronica we're doing. They were probably drinking milkshakes at Pop's. Boredom started to overcome her.

Well that was until her dad came busting through the door, drunk as always. "Dad get out."

She was finally going to stand up to her dad. She wasn't going to be pushed around by him.

"No, I need to talk to you."

"Dad, your drunk. Get out of my room."

This made him angry and he grabbed her hair pulled her off her bed. "You will not speak to me like that, I am your father!"

She struggles in his grasp, fighting to get away from him. She tried but she couldn't. "Dad let go of me."

He lets her hair go and says, "Your a worthless piece of shit, you know that."

He picks her up by her hair and then slaps her across the face, a little bit of blood falls from her nose and her lip. He walks out if the room and says, "I'm going to the bar."

He slams the door and Poppy crawls into a ball on the floor, tears start to stream down her face.

Veronica and Betty were sitting at a booth at Pop's, drinking milkshakes when the boys came in and sat down next to them.

"Hey Juggie, have you heard from Poppy?" Betty asks, feeling a knot starting to form in her stomach. She felt something was wrong.

"No, I haven't why?" Her replies, confused as to why she was asking.

Betty quickly got up from the booth and took off running, Archie, Jughead, and Veronica following after her. Betty didn't stop until she stumbled upon Poppy's house. She wasn't even going to knock, she walked up to the door and turned the handle and opens the door.

She remembers where Poppy's bedroom was and headed inside. She looks around and the walls are filled with Poppy's drawings. They were all really good. They all walked inside and found Betty looking at Poppy's walls.

"Where is she?" Jughead asks, concerned about her wearabouts.

"Okay, everyone split up and look."

Everyone nodded and Jughead stayed int the room while everyone else split up looking in different directions. He looked around the room and noticed the closet door was shut.

"You were never the best at hide and seek." Jughead thought to him self as he walks over to the closet.

He reaches out to touch the door handle and turns it, making a small creaking noise. Poppy covers her mouth and a few tears fall from her eyes.

"Poppy?" Jughead calls out into the darkness of the closet.

Right when she heard his voice, she removed the hand from her mouth, got up and hugged Jughead. Jughead hugged her back and then asks, "Are you okay."

They pull away and Jughead sees her lip. "What happened to you?"

She looks down and then back up at Jughead saying, "N-nothing happened."

He knew he wasn't going to get any answers from her so he just pulled her into a hug and strokes her hair.

"It's okay. It's okay." Jughead says soothingly.

He wraps his arms around her and his hand brushes against her arm. "Your freezing."

He grabs his flannel jacket and then drapes it around her shoulders. He zips it up and she gives him a smile. The smile he fell in love with when they were kids. He'd never tell anyone that though.

She asks, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Betty asked if any of us talked to you at all today and then we said no. Then she took off running and didn't stop until we got to your house." Jughead replies, answering her question.

Betty came walking back into her room and when she saw Poppy she pulled her into a hug and says, "I was so worried about you."

They pull away and Betty sees her lip. "What happened?"

"N-nothing happened, Betty. I'm okay." Poppy replies trying to get her to leave it alone.

But we all know Betty, she never quits.

"Is he still here?"

Poppy shakes her head and Betty says, "Come on, your staying with me."

She grabs Poppy's hand and pulls her outside, but they only make it to the porch when Poppy stops her saying Betty's name to grab her attention. Betty turns around and sees Poppy in a pair of shorts, Jughead's jacket, and no shoes.

"Oh, yeah. You should probably change."

"Yeah probably." Poppy replies walking back into the house to her room.

Jughead and Archie leave her room and she shuts the door behind them. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans, her red converse, a t-shirt and then puts Jughead's jacket back on. She puts her hair into a ponytail and then opens her door, seeing all of her friends waiting near the door.

A small smile appears on her face as she walks over to them. She opens the door and they all head out and are met with Poppy's father. You could smell the alcohol on his breath from a mile away.

Poppy instantly tensed up and everyone saw it. Her father smiles and Poppy bravely says, "Come on guys, let's go."

She heads to walk down the steps but her dad grabs her arm, stopping her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He whispers quietly.

"I'm staying with Betty, I'm coming back to get my stuff." She quietly replies.

"Okay, all your thinks will be on the porch when you get back." He tells her, smiling to himself letting go of her arm.

This was part of his sick plan. He didn't care about her, neither did her mother when they found out the sickening truth.

Poppy shakes off the eerie feeling and walks back to where her friends were waiting for her at the end of the sidewalk leading to her house. She lets go of the breath she was holding and smiles as they walk down the street.

They went back to Pop's and Poppy got a classic vanilla shake and everyone else went back to their shakes that Pop had saved for them. They laughed and talked about random things. No one brought up the even that had taken place earlier and Poppy was glad for that.

A couple of hours later Archie had to go and help his dad and Veronica's mom needed her so they left. Jughead took the liberty of walking the two girls back to Poppy's house to grab her two medium sized boxes, her book bag, and a bag that has makeup and bathroom utilities.

They head over to Betty's and Betty tells her mom what was happening, Poppy wasn't mad this time she was actually glad.

Betty and her mom walk into the livingroom and Betty's mom says to Poppy, "You're welcome to stay here, for as long as you like."

Poppy smiles and her and Jughead follow Betty to their spare room. She sets down the box she was carrying on the bed and then sets the bag on the ground. Jughead follows her suit and puts the box on the bed. She opens the box Jughead was carrying and starts to grab her pictures. She looks through them and finds the drawing of Jughead and hands them to him.

There was one of him laughing, talking, smiling, and typing on his computer.

Seeing these drawings made him smile. The drawings were really good and it really captured him. Without her expecting it he pulls her into a hug, she hugs back and in the moment she felt safe.

She was home.

 **A/N**

 **Chapters with the .5 do not take place. They do tie into the other chapters. The next chapter will take place after chapter 2 touch of evil.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three : Body Double**

 _Guilt, innocence._

 _Good, evil._

 _Life, death._

 _As the shadows around Riverdale deepend, the lines that separated these polar opposites blurred and distorted._

 _"I'm guilty," Cheryl said in Biology class._

 _But of what?_

Everyone in Biology class was shocked at to what she was talking about. She was pulled into the principles office and then dragged out by her parents later that day.

Betty and Poppy were in Betty's room studying when Betty's mom came in with the newest addition to the paper. "Hot off the presses."

Betty picks it up and right when she sees the headline she says, "Mom."

Betty gets off the bed and says walking over to her mom, "First you leak Jason Blossom's autopsy report, and now this?"

"People are loving the coverage." Her mother replies, attempting to justify it.

"You have to stop sensationalizing this horrible thing."

"It's news, Betty. We own the Riverdale Register. We have a responsibility to keep the people informed." Her mother replies.

"Whatever Jason did to Polly he's still a person." Betty tries to tell her mother but she's cut off. "You reap what you sow."

"You should be writing the real story. What happened to Jason?" Betty questions, "Who was holding him captive? Why was he frozen? And who shot that gun on July 4th?"

"Well, if you're so Keen on reporting, why don't you come work with your father and me. The Register could use a Lois Lane type like you." Her mother replies grabbing the paper from Betty's hands.

"And Poppy, we could use a good illistrater like you." Her mother says, then walks straight out the door.

At school Poppy and Jughead were together, hanging out like they always do until they both got a text from Betty telling them to meet in the old Blue and Gold room.

They head there and Jughead leans against the doorway asking, "If print journalism is dead, what are we doing here?"

"The Blue and Gold isn't dead, guys. It's just dormant. But waking up." The two outsiders walk in and start inspecting everything.

"You're writing a novel, right? About Jason Blossom's murder?" Betty asks Jughead.

"I am." He replies, looking up from the magnifine glass he has in his hands. "Riverdale's very own In Cold Blood."

"Which started out as a series of articles. I was hoping you two would come and write for the Blue and Gold." Betty tells the two in the room.

"I don't think the school's papers the right fit for my voice." Jughead tells her.

Then Poppy says, "I can't write, you know that. I barely passed the 4th grade if it wasnt for you or Juggy."

"You could draw or help us find things out, your really good at that." Betty replies trying kindle the spark that was already there.

"Guys, Jason's death changed Riverdale. People don't want to admit that, but it's true. We all feel it. Nothing this bad was ever supposed to happen here, but it did." Betty says approaching them.

"I want to know why."

That was something everyone wanted. That was the million dollar question. Who killed Jason Blossom.

"Would I get complete freedom?" Jughead asks.

"I'll help, and edit...And suggest. But it's your story, it's your voice." She replies.

"Doesn't sound like complete freedom, but...I'm in." Jughead tells her.

The two turn and look at Poppy and she stays silent for a couple of seconds before saying, "Count me in to."

"Okay great!" Betty says, putting her hands together. "Um, in that case, I have your first assignment."

"There's one person who was at the river on July 4th that no one is talking about." Betty tells the two.

"Dilton Doiley and his scouts." Jughead says taking the words right out of Betty's mouth.

"Exactly."

Jughead grabs Poppy's hand and pulls her out the door, while Betty goes to work.

The next day at school Poppy's phone went off and she saw a picture of Veronica and Chuck, but Veronica got sticky mapled. She quickly went to find her but she found her and Betty going into the boys locker room. She followed them into the belly of a giant six-headed beast.

"Move. Excuse me." Veronica says as we push through the bodies.

Veronica knocks into Archie and his towel almost comes down. "Veronica?"

"Betty, Poppy, what are you guys doing here?" Archie asks, very confused as to why three girls were in the men's locker room.

"Don't worry about." Veronica fires. Archie tries to say something but she says, "I mean it, Andrews. Hit the showers and stay out of my way."

Betty and Poppy just tried to keep their heads down. Veronica clears her throat and Chuck turns around.

"Huh, B,V and miss red-head. Menage a right on. Ladies." Chuck says, acting cool in front of his friends.

She shows him her phone and says, "This is disgusting. Take it down."

"Whoa, whoa. Why are you so wound up? He asks. "It's a badge of honor, and you're not exactly virgin territory after your closet date with Andrews."

"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck. You're not allowed to go around humiliating girls, for any reason, under any circumstances, you jerk." Betty fires at him.

Poppy agreed with her. She knew all to well what the football team did to girls. She was one of their victims last year.

"Look, I get you're not a closet kind of girl, but hey, if you wanna ride the Chuck Wagon, that can be arranged. You two Red." Chuck says to Betty and Poppy, a giant smirk on his face.

Veronica scoffs and says, "Let's keep this simple, so that your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it. Take. This. The hell. Down."

She didn't want to see Veronica get humiliated by the football team so she made a run for and quickly found Jughead so they could go investigate Doiley.

"And in the moment of hesitation, you're dead. All of you are dead." Doily says to his scouts.

"At ease, Doiley." Poppy says, sparking his attention.

"I'm writing an article for the Blue and Gold. Hoping you can help." Jughead tells the spoiled scout leader.

"Dismissed." Doiley yells. "But stay close."

"Cheryl and Archie both say they heard a gunshot the morning of July 4th, but they don't know who fired."

"Sheriff Keller already asked me about this." Doiley says answering his question. "And like I told him, my scouts and I, we didn't hear anything weird."

"Well did you see anything weird?" A curious Poppy asked as the two stepped forward trying to intimidate him.

"A white-winged Crossbill. A long-eared owl. Oh. And Cheryl, sitting by the river, soaking wet." Doiley tells the two.

Poppy looks around to see one of Doiley's scouts looking at them and then looking away. She knew he had something to hide.

The next day at school Betty rounded up all the girl's who have been sticky mapled in the Blue and Gold room, then asked Veronica to meet her there.

When Veronica walked into the room Betty says, "This story is bigger than we thought. I started asking around, to see if what happened to you happened to anyone else, and if anyone would go on record."

"I will. 100%." Ethel says speaking up.

"Okay." Betty replies. "It's five guys on the football team. Chuck and his posse. Ethel was just about to tell us..."

"One day last year, Chuck and I talked in the library for 10 minutes. I helped him with a Pre-Cal problem, nothing happened. But the next day, he..." She posses for a couple of seconds before continuing, "He started telling people that I let him do stuff to me. Like, sex stuff. And then he or one of his goons, wrote, "Sloppy seconds" on my locker."

"Yes, yes, we've all heard your tragic origin story." Cheryl says.

"I'm so, so sorry Ethel. That's terrible." Betty says, putting a hand in her shoulder trying to console her completely ignoring Cheryl.

"Not at horrible as being a suspect in your own brother's torture-murder case, but we all have our crosses." Cheryl continues. " In the meantime, River Vixen practice starts in five minutes, sluts, so..."

"They're ruining our lives, and to them it's just a game." Ethel bursts out. "They keep score and.."

She gets cut off by Veronica asking her, "Wait, what do you mean, keep score?"

"Each conquest earns them points." Poppy says, speaking up.

"They keep track in some secret play book." Ethel says.

"Okay, we have to talk to Weatherbee." Betty tells all of the hurt girls that have been broken by the ruthless football players.

"I already tried." Ethel says, tears threatening to fall. "Weatherbee said he didn't find anything."

"Okay, we need undeniable proof."

"Proof of what, Nancy Drew? That boys will be boys. And that playbook reeks of suburban legend." Cheryl says, interrupting the girls yet again.

"How would you know, Cheryl?" Veronica asks her coldly.

"Because, Frida Shallow, before he died, my brother was co-captain of the football team with Chuck, and Jason never mentioned it, and he never would have allowed it." Cheryl tells everyone.

"Okay, well, I never met your brother, but I'm not lying about what happened to me. And Ethel's not lying. And proof or no proof, book or no book, I'm going scorched earth on these privileged, despicable miscreants." Veronica says, angrily, moving towards Cheryl.

"You wanna get caught in that back draft, Cheryl? Call me, or any of these beautiful, young, strong, intelligent women..."slut" one more time." Veronica spits out, leaving Cheryl lost for words, bring a smile to Poppy's face.

Later that night when the Betty, Veronica, Ethel, and Kevin went to the school Poppy went to Pop's to get coffee and to draw. She needed a distraction from all the memories that got brought up earlier that day. She needed an escape and drawing was that escape.

When Ethel found the book they found two very familiar and important names. Polly's and Poppy's. Poppy's was worse that all the girls put together in that book. Poppy didn't want to see.

After talking to Doiley's scout Jughead looked around and saw Poppy curled up in their booth with her sketch book and a cup of coffee. The girl he cared so much about, all alone, like a book that got pushed to the back of the shelf.

He walked over to the booth and sat down at booth. The dip on the booth cushion made her look up to see Jughead smiling at her. He looks at what she's drawing and he sees a hand grabbing an apple.

He grabs her pencil and sketch book and she quickly asks, "What are you doing?"

"Come on, you need a distraction." He says grabbing her hand and pulls her towards the door. They walk to the park and her puts her sketch book down on the bench.

She went to grab it but Jughead grabbed her hands and led her to the swings. "Juggy, what are you doing?"

He stops when they reach the swings. "Come on, I'll push you. It'll be just like old times."

She sighs and then she sits down on the swing saying, "Fine."

Jughead pushes her and she laughs like she did when they were kids. He smiles at her laughter and says, "See I told you I could take your mind off of everything."

"Yeah, your right. You'll always right, Juggy." She replies, laughing. She couldn't help but smile. It made her feel warm and happy, like she use to be.

In that moment she started to fall.

After getting a text from Betty Poppy quickly ran to Ethel's house t o find Veronica in a swimsuit and Betty in a black wig, red lipstick, and a really slutty outfit.

"What is that?" Veronica and Poppy both ask Betty, when she puts something in a drink.

"Muscle relaxer." Betty replies emptying it into the glass. "Mix it with booze and it lowers your inhibitions. Hell, truth serum."

Images started to flash through Poppy's head. "Maybe we should slow it down a little."

"It's fine. Right, Chuck?" She asks, making her way towards Chuck, the glass of alcohol in her hand. "You don't want to slow down, do you?"

"Oh, I'm 2 Fast 2 Furious, baby. Hey red, looks like you came to join the party." Chuck replies, giving Poppy a smirk.

"Good." Betty replies. "Good boy, Chuck."

Betty turns up heat after giving Chuck the truth alcohol. Once Chuck realizes he's been handcuffed he asks, "What? What the hell?"

"Start recording." Betty says to Veronica and she does.

"Hey, guys. It's getting really hot in here." Chuck wines.

"Any getting hotter by the minute. Time to squeal, pig. Tell the truth about what happened between you and Veronica." Betty demands.

Poppy didn't like where this was headed. An eerie feeling climbed into her gut and she didn't like it.

"We had a good time. She had a good time." Chuck replies, answering Betty's question.

"The truth, Chuck, or so help me, I will boil you alive." Betty threatens turning the heat up.

"What?" He asks, very confused. "We made out."

"And then?"

"And then I took her home! And I didn't give a sticky maple." Chuck shouts.

"That's all you had to say, you ass. And now, everyone will know." Veronica replies, tapping on her phone.

Betty picks up her heel and puts it in Chuck's head and starts to push it under the water asking, "You like shaming people, Chuck?"

"Whoa, hey..." He tried to yell but gets cut off by Betty asking, "You like dehumanizing them?"

"Okay!" He yells, trying to get Betty to stop. The two teens were shocked at thier best friends actions.

"Prissy prude by day, freak in the sheets by night?" Betty asks.

"No!"

"Apologize!" Betty yells at him.

"Calm down." Veronica says trying to make Betty stop or to try and snap her out of it.

"Say you're sorry!"

"Okay!" He yells. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it. I'm sorry for what we did Poppy."

Poppy didn't want to see the rest of it, she couldn't. Tears were streaming down her face when she got a text message from Jughead saying that Doiley would talk to them tomorrow in the Blue and Gold office.

She went home to Betty's and started to draw as tears continued to fall

Betty apologized for what happened last night and Poppy accepted her apology, even if it went to far. She knew Betty just wanted to help.

And Betty stayed up all night writing the article on all the slut shaming and left Poppy out of it.

 _Light and Dark._

 _Betty and Veronica._

 _Two sides of the same Janus coin._

 _Given Betty's article, Weatherbee needed a sacrificial lamb._

 _Needed to make an example of someone._

 _So, after Hermione Lodges negotiated a lesser punishment for our two avenging angels..._

 _Coach Clayton, to save his job, to save the school's reputation, was forced to cut his own beloved son, and his goon squad, from the team._

 _An action that, though none of us knew it at the time, would have terrible consequences in the weeks to come..._

 _But one thing was certain, Betty, Veronica, and Poppy, now B,V &P, and maybe forever, had been forged._

 _They walked through the fire, and survived._

 _We crave absolutes. They comfort us, but life is infinitely more complex than that._

Poppy, Jughead, and Betty listen to Doiley when he says, "If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life with be ruined. I'll be banished from the Adventure Scouts, and charged with s misdemeanor."

"So, what if I have a better story?" He says grabbing their attention. "If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us."

Betty walks to the front of the desk and says, "You have our word. As journalists."

Jughead puts down his little note book and Doiley says, "I saw something at Sweatwater River. Something nobody else saw. Mrs. Grundy's car. By the river's edge. She was there."

Jughead and Poppy share a quick glance before looking back at Doiley.

 _Despite all of our recent troubles, I would've done anything to protect Archie._

 _But Dilton Doiley had just opened Pandora's box, and now, there was nothing I, nor Poppy, or anyone, could do to save him._

 **A/N**

 **I may or may not do a chapter 3.5. I'm thinking about it but don't be surprised if there isn't one.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four : The Last Picture Show**

 _It's been a week since the discovery if Jason Blossom's body._

 _But his death is not the first, nor would it be the last casualty that this town of Riverdale would suffer._

 _The Twilight Drive-In where I work, my home away from home, a piece of town history, is closing for good, just when we needed a place to escape the most._

 _With Sheriff Keller knocking on every door and neighbor suspecting neighbor, Riverdale, every day that passes, is becoming more and more like Salem during the witch trials._

 _And meanwhile, the girl next door, our friendly neighborhood Hitchcock blonde, Betty Cooper, was wrestling with the knowledge that her best friend, Archie Andrews, was caught up in a forbidden romance._

Jughead, Poppy, Betty, Kevin, and Veronica are sitting at a booth at Pop's. Jughead rants, "the Drive-in closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale...No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream."

He continues to stammer, "As the godfather if indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say..."

He gets cut off by Kevin saying, "Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references."

"What?" Jughead questions, "I'm pissed."

"And not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. People should be trying to save it." Jughead angrily spits out.

"In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car?" Veronica asks, "I mean who even goes there?"

"People who want to buy crack." Kevin says getting cut off by Jughead saying, "And cinephiles, and car enthusiasts."

"Right, Poppy?" He asks, turning his head to look at her.

"Totally." She replies looking at her drawing of the people sitting across from her.

"Anyways, it's closing because the town owns it, but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer, she couldn't refuse..." Jughead starts but gets cut off by Veronica asking, "Anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide? No one cares."

"I do!" Jughead yells, causing Poppy to jump smacking her knees on the bottom of the table.

"Also, you guys should all come to closing night. I'm think American Graffiti...Or is that too obvious?" Jughead questions, looking to the rest of the booth for answers.

"I vote for anything starting Audrey Hepburn." Veronica adds, "Or Care Blanchett."

"Or the Talented Mr. Ripley." Kevin adds, "Betty, your choices?"

Betty snaps out of her thoughts when her name gets mentioned, "You okay, B?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. Um...I don't know what would be good to watch."

"What about you Poppy?" Jughead asks the red-head sitting next to him.

She looks at Jughead and replies causing the two of them to snicker, "Maybe Rebel Without a Cause?"

Veronica's mom, Hermione, puts a basket on the table saying, "Here you go kids."

"Thanks mom." Veronica replies with a smile.

The bell rings and Archie, his father, and Ms. Grundy come walking into Pops causing Kevin to say, "Now, that's an odd combo of people."

Everyone in the booth turns and looks to see what Kevin saw. "I'll be right back."

While Betty gets up Jughead and Poppy both say in unison, "No, Betty. No. Don't.."

"Wait, what's happening?" A confused Kevin asks the group.

They watch as Betty goes over there and leaves the building Archie at he heals.

They all watch as Betty crosses her arms and glances at the booth they're sitting in. "What's happening out there? Do we know? Is it about me?"

"I have a sting inkling, and no." Jughead replies furrowing his brow.

"Also, I'd let it go." Poppy tells Veronica, attempting to not let her drag herself into the mess that was Archie and Ms. Grundy.

"Yes, but you're you, and I'm me. You do you, girl, I'll be back." She replies getting up from the table and heading outside to the confusion.

"What was it like before she got here?" Kevin asks, the two who were still in the booth.

"I honestly can't remember." Poppy replies, puting her forehead on the table while Jughead reaches over her grabbing a fry and puts it in his mouth.

A couple of minutes later Betty is back inside dragging Poppy back outside with her. When they climb into the car her mother asks, "What have I told you about those two?"

"Can we just go?" Betty asks, wanting to desperately get out of there.

"She must have figured out his secret." Poppy thought to herself on the car ride home.

Archie talked with Jughead while Jughead put up posters for the drive in Betty had alterior motives. Her and Poppy were giving Ms. Grundy an interview. Well Betty was, Poppy was drawing and she blocked out everything Betty and Ms. Grundy were saying she just blocked them out.

She just blocked the two out and continued to draw the woman in front of her.

She went to class afterwards and then went with Jughead to fight for the Twilight Drive-In.

"I'm sorry, but the Twilight Drive-In? It's a blight that's become a cesspool, and a hangout for criminals..." Mayor McCoy stutters, "...and transients, and the deal is done."

She points out, "Andrew's construction is scheduled to demolish the lot on Monday."

"Mayor McCoy," Jughead says pulling up a chair. "when I was a kid, my family and I would go to the drive-in all the time."

"We couldn't afford tickets for everyone, so my sister Jellybean and I would hide in the trunk until we parked. We'd sneak out." He continues, "It's like my home."

"Please don't destroy it, it's been so many things for me and my friends. It's where all of us met." Poppy jumps in trying to help Jughead's argument.

"That's a very sweet sentiment, Mr. Jones, Ms. Parrish. But the future of Riverdale is at stake." Mayor McCoy tells the two teenagers in front of her, destroying their last glimpse of hope to save the the drive-in.

The two leave the mayor's office and Poppy says, "I'm sorry we couldn't save the drive-in Juggy."

"It's okay." He replies. "At least we tried when know one else would."

He gives her a small smile when they head out the door. Going straight to Archie's father's construction building.

"Mayor McCoy says you won the contract to tear down the drive-in." Jughead says to Archie's father.

"I did." He replies, "Look, I'm sorry, Jughead, Poppy. I know how much you two love the Twilight, and so do I..."

Jughead cuts him off by saying, "Mr. Andrews, just give us one week to track down the person. Who bought the land, and convince them not to demolish a holy house of cinema."

Poppy giggles at Jughead comment about the holy house of cinema. "It's a big contract for me, and for my guys. Whatever they built in place of the drive-in could mean more jobs..."

"Yeah, in what? Some hypothetical future?" Jughead replies, "You put one Jones out of work, why don't you put out another, huh?"

"Jug, your dad was taking materials from one of our job sights. I had to let him go." Mr. Andrew tells Jug.

Poppy looked at the two with sad eyes when Jughead says, "Right. You did what you had to do, like you're doing here now."

And with Jughead left. Poppy quickly ran after him. She caught up to him and grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back and burried his head in her hair. Taking in a deep breath he smelled the scent if strawberries. It always calmed him down and made him feel better, just like when they were kids.

Some how he knew even though he was going to loose the drive-in, he'd still have the next best thing.

Her.

Poppy was in line, going to get some popcorn, a bag of gummy worms, and a cola. When she finally got to the front of line the guy at the counter started to hit on her.

"Can I get a small popcorn, a bag of gummy worms, and a cola please."

"Sure, sweet thing. Coming right up." He says giving her a sinister smile.

She pays for it and then the guy behind the counter says, "Hey Lonnie I'm going on break."

"Be back in 20 minutes." A person shouted from the back.

She quickly took off running to get to the place where she was watching the movie from, not wanting that guy to do something he'd regret.

When it ended she went home and upstairs . She headed to Betty's room but stopped when she hears Betty's mom say, "Betty. Polly kept so, so many secrets from us. I won't have anymore secrets between us. Not anymore. Not if I'm gonna keep you safe."

You could hear the sadness in Betty's mom's voice.

"What's my name, mom?" Betty asks, "Say it."

"Elizabeth Cooper."

"That's right. I am Elizabeth, I am not Polly. Archie is not Jason. So stop using them as an excuse to control my life!"

Her mom left and Poppy quickly hid in her room. Once she walked pass she quickly went into Betty's room and pulled Betty into a hug. "It's not your fault."

They pulled away and Poppy heads back to her room. Sitting on her bed she looks at the picture of her and Jughead at the drive in when they were kids. She smiles at the picture as a tear rolls down her face.

"Good-bye." She whispered into the empty air. Letting go of the place she had once called home.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five : Heart of Darkness**

 _Every town has one._

 _The spooky house that all the kids avoid._

 _Ours was Thornhill, the Blossom family's mansion, with it's very own graveyard._

 _And, trapped within its walls like some gothic heroine, was Cheryl Blossom._

 _Still grieving for her beloved brother, Jason_

 _Linked in death even as they were in life._

Poppy, Betty, Jughead, and Kevin were all in the blue and gold room. Kevin was recreating his dad's murder board. "This is how my dad had his Jason Blossom murder board before it was trashed."

"Any leads on who did that? Or what they were looking for?" Jughead asks, moving his hand from his mouth looking at the board.

"Nope. No finger prints." Kevin replies turning to face the other three in the room. "But they stole a bunch of files, background checks, and all the video and audiotapes of police interviews."

The door opens and Trevor come walking in saying, "Hey, Betty.."

"Trev, hi!" She replies in a cheery tone.

"Sorry to interrupt." He says looking to Poppy, Jughead, and Kevin.

"Oh, no... Uh, it's okay." She replies. "We're just, uh, working on..."

"Our murder board." Jughead replies, snarkishly. Glaring at Trevor.

"Does he like Betty?" Poppy questions herself.

Trevor looks at the board and then back to Betty asking, "Well, I just wanted to make sure we're still on for tomorrow?"

"Absolutely!" She chirps. "It's a date...I mean, I'll... I'll see you there. Bye."

"So... Bye." He replies leaving the room.

The three look at her curiously and confused. "Going on a date with Trev? Does mama Cooper know about that?"

"Kev, I'm not on house arrest." She replies and then Poppy tells them, "Mama Cooper is out of town at a Women I Journalism spa retreat."

"Anyways, it's not a "date" date."

"You just called it a date." Jughead informs her. "You literally said, "It's a date."

He said the last part a little annoyed. Poppy started to get curious and a little jelous.

"That's just my cover." Betty tells them walking over to her desk. "Really, it's an intelligence gathering mission."

Jughead looks at the ground and then to Poppy. Kevin just looks at her while she says, "We should focus in the one thing we have access to that your dad doesn't."

"The kids at Riverdale high." Poppy says taking the words right out of Betty's mouth.

Betty nods and continues, "You know, Trev knows something about Jason he didn't think was important."

During lunch Poppy followed Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Kevin to the bleachers. They sat down and started to eat. Poppy didn't listen into the conversation, she was to focused on drawing and thinking about Jughead and Betty.

Well that was until Cheryl came over to them saying, "Sorry to interrupt Sad Breakfast Club, but I'm here to formally invite you to Jason's memorial at Thornhill this weekend."

She hands out the invitation to Poppy and when Poppy grabs hers the bracelet Betty let her borrow cut open one of the scabs on her wrist making it bleed. She quickly pulls her arm to the side not wanting anyone to notice the blood starting seep through her jacket sleeve.

She continues to hand them out saying, " To my surprise and chagrin, mother added you to the guest-list."

"In case you're tempted to steal our silver candlesticks, don't. We'll be searching bags." She says looking at Jughead and Poppy before she walks off.

Poppy quickly gets off the bleachers, holding her arm, and runs to bathroom, not realized Jughead ran after her. Once she got into the bathroom she took off her jacket and quickly grabbed paper towels putting them on her wrist trying to stop the bleeding.

When she finally did she threw away the paper towels and that's when Jughead walked into bathroom. "Are you okay?"

She looks up and quickly puts her arms behind her back saying, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"I find that hard to believe." He walks closer to her and says, "You've never been the best at lying."

"Its nothing, I'm okay. Betty's bracelet cut my arm." She replies picking up her jacket off the floor.

He knew he wasn't going to get an exact answer so he just nodded and followed her out of the bathroom. Then rejoining thier friends on the bleachers.

"Betty, I'm sorry." Jughead and Poppy say in unison, after Betty told us the story Betty's dad told her the night before.

"That's hardcore." Jughead continued.

"I asked my dad if I could call Polly. He said she was doing better. But then, when she heard about Jason's death, she had a big setback. He doesn't want to risk another one." Betty tells all of her friend sitting in the lounge.

"Why does a rich kid sell drugs?" Jughead questions.

"He was running away from his parents." Betty and Poppy replied in unison.

"Yeah. Probably." Jughead replies getting up from the chair. "Or drug dealers."

"Oh, my god. Is that possible?"

"It's a theory." Poppy says speaking up.

"Yours is more likely." Jughead says, "But why would he have to run away from Mommy and Daddy?"

"Because they're monsters." Betty replies, answering his question.

"Yea, but why, specifically."

"Well, we can't exactly just ask them." Poppy points out.

"So we have to ask Jason." Jughead says, turning back around to face the two girls in the room.

"Are you proposing a seance or..." Betty and Poppy both question.

"No. Dead men tell no tales." Jughead replies with a small smile on his face. "But their bedroom, their houses..."

Poppy knew exactly what he meant and she gave him a reasuring smiles.

Betty had something to do so after school so it was just Poppy at home with Betty's father. She didn't mind, she found his company nice. Even though she got the feeling he didn't like her that much.

She was sitting in their living room drawing when the door bell rang. She was about to get up and get the door but Hal says walking to the door, "I got it."

When he opens the door Poppy sees her father there, a beer bottle in hand. "What are you doing her John?"

"I'm here to tell Poppy something. Something she should've know a long time ago." Poppy's father replies.

He looks past Hal and sees Poppy sitting on the couch watching the two of them. Knowing she could hear what they were saying he says, "Should I tell her Hal, or should you tell her. Well I mean she's yours after all."

That sparked Poppy's curiosity. She got up from the couch and walks over to the door, you could see the fear growing in her eyes with every step she took, inching closer and closer to the door. "What are you talking about."

"It's nothing Poppy." Hal says trying to go and get her to go back to the living room.

"I'm not your father, Poppy." Johnathan manages to say before Hal cuts him off by saying, "John get out of here before I call cops for harassment. You don't want to get put in jail again do you?"

Johnathan gives Hal a glare and then leaves. Hal looks back at Poppy to see her trying to hold back her tears. So many questions were running through her head.

Could Betty's dad be her father?

She was about to turn around and go to her room but Hal pulled her into a hug, petting her hair telling her that it was okay. Like a normal father would.

She started making connections.

Later that night Betty and Poppy could hear laughter. So they walked down the stairs and peered into the living seeing Betty's father watching a tape on the TV.

It was a Polly when she was little. He had a sad expression on his face when the camera panned to see two little girls wearing the same exact thing. One with blonde hair and one with red hair.

That's when it hit the two of them. Poppy was right. Betty looked at Poppy and then dragged her upstairs to Betty's room.

"Your my sister?!"

The next morning was Jason Blossom's funeral. The two girls, Betty and Poppy, were getting ready in Betty's room. After last night's events they didn't want to be apart.

"You guys ready to enter the belly of the beast?" Jughead asks the twins, scaring the crap out if Poppy.

Poppy turns around and smiles when she sees Jughead in a suit and he still has his crown on his head. The two of them chuckle at him.

"It was the best I could do." He tells them a small blush forming as he looks to the corner of the room.

"You look great." Poppy tells him as she walks over and kisses his check, causing them to both blush.

Then the three of them went outside and headed to the Thornhill mansion, where clues were waiting to be discovered.

Once inside the three sat down in the chairs, Poppy in the middle of Jughead and Betty. Archie walked over to Mrs. Blossom and gave her Jason's jersey and before he went back to his seat and Kevin asks, "Did she just touch your hair?"

"That was really sweet what you did." Betty replies leaning forward a little bit and then leaning back when she was finished talking.

"She deserves it, more than I do." Archie replies, sounding a little depressed.

Veronica walks to the group and says, "Days like today really put things into perspective, huh?"

"I mean, at least we're here. At least we're alive." She says sitting down in the chair in front of Valerie.

Betty and Poppy look around the room and see their dad at the bar drinking. Moments later music starts to play and you see Cheryl walking down the aisle of people wearing white. Everyone looked at her shocked.

"Oh, my god..."Veronica manages to say when Cheryl walks by. While Kevin mutters a yes.

Her parents were pissed off. You could tell by the hateful glares they gave her as she stood in front of the podium. "Welcome to Thornhill. Thank you all for coming. If you'll kindly take your seats. I'd like to start the memorial with a few words about Jason."

Her parents say down and her mother was about to get up but her husband pulled her back down. She looked back at Veronica who says, "Your only going to make thinks worse."

Cheryl takes off her gloves and begins, "The last time I saw Jason, I was wearing this dress. I know it's impossible. But I swear, when I put it on, it... It feels like he's in the room with me."

She pauses for a couple of minutes before continuing, "Even though we were twins, I used to demand I have my own birthday party."

When she said the word twins Poppy and Betty both looked at each other.

"Until one year, out of the blue, Jason convinced me we had to combine them into one. It wasn't until years later, I found out why. It was because no one wanted to come to mine. And Jason didn't want me to know."

You could hear the sorrow in her voice when she says, "He protected me. Every single day. I wish, that day at the river, I had protected him."

She turns around, crying, saying as she touched the casket, "I'm so sorry, Jay-Jay."

Veronica gets up and walks over to Cheryl as she says, "We failed you. All of us."

She lays her head on the casket and then when Veronica puts a hand on her back she hugs her. Jughead looks to Betty and Poppy as they do the same.

After Cheryl leaves the podium her mother takes her place saying, "I think we'll adjourn now to the Winter Salon for a light supper."

As everyone got up Jughead grabbed Poppy's hand and Betty followed the two upstairs to Jason's bedroom. The roomed was untouched when they entered.

"Is it me or did the temperature just drop like it does in horror movies?" Betty and Poppy ask in unison, smiling at each other when they finish talking.

"That's just the icy chill of the dead." Jughead replies as he walks over to the bed.

"Where does a teenage boy hide things?"

"Under the matress, maybe in th drawers, behind the headboard, in the closet." Jughead answers heading over to cupboard, opening the doors looking inside.

The two girls walk over to him and watch as he looks through the cupboard. Betty looks inside the beside drawer and Jughead closes the doors heading to the shelf. Poppy just watches.

That was until the old woman in a wheelchair says creepily, "Hello."

The three of them gasp while Betty let's out a small gasp of the word holy. Jughead quickly puts a hand on Poppy's shoulder and hides behind her.

"I'm so sorry," Betty says to the old woman, "we were just leaving."

"Oh, it's you." She says, rolling into the light over to the three teenagers. "How lovely to see you again. Come closer, I want to get a good look at you."

Jughead whispers into Poppy's ear, "The horror. The horror."

Betty walks over to the old woman and Poppy instinctively grabs Jughead's hand not even realizing it.

Betty inches forward slowly as the woman says, "Come closer, Polly dear."

Betty sits down and Poppy and Jughead inch closer to the old woman. "It's nice to see you again, too. I'm sorry it had to be under such terrible circumstances."

The woman grabs Betty's hands and feels around for something and then says, "Well, if course you're not wearing it. God bless."

"Wearing what?" Betty asks in confusion.

"The ring, Polly. That ring has been in the he Blossom family for generations. You keep it close to your hear, always. But don't tell Penelope I gave it to you. Or she'll like come and snip it off your finger!"

After saying that it made the Poppy and Jughead jump. "I won't, I promise."

Betty looks at the two as the old woman continues, "Such a shame. Your wedding was the last thing I was living for. I lost a grandson, but you, you've lost the love of your young life. Poor child."

Betty quickly gets up and saying, "Excuse me. I have to... I can't.."

She looked like she was about to cry when she left the room. Poppy and Jughead instantly ran after her.

Poppy and Betty quickly left and went home dragging their dad with them. When they were inside their father says, "You dragged me out if the Blossom house, and then you don't talk to me the whole way home."

"Dad, Jason and Poppy were engaged. Did you know that?"

The look on his face confirmed that he knew. "Oh, my god."

"Of course you did. Is that what you an Clifford Blossom were talking about?" Betty asks.

"That is none of your business." He tell her as he starts to walk out of the room.

"Yes, it is my business. So stop avoiding it and just tell us what's going on." Betty spits out, very frustratedly.

"Clifford and I were arguing because he and his filthy clan came this close to destroying our family. Your little friend Cheryl's great-grandfather...murdered yours, Betty." He tells them.

"And Poppy's." Betty says. "We know dad. So don't deny it."

"And Poppy's." He says, trying to justify it.

"Why?" Betty asks.

"For the same reason they do everything. Greed and hate." He says, sitting down in the kitchen chair. "They were in business together. Selling and trading maple syrup. And one day great-grandfather Blossom decided that he didn't want to share the profits. So he murdered my grandfather in cold blood."

"That's why you hated Jason?" Poppy asks. "Because of some blood feud that happened before you were even born?"

"They stole our livelihood, Poppy." He replies, "And I'd die before I let them steal my daughter, too."

"Where is she?" Betty demands, slamming her hands on the table causing Poppy to jump at the sudden sound.

"She is sick!" He yells getting up from the table. "And Jason made her sick. And she's not coming home until she isn't sick anymore. Fair warning to both of you. Stay out of it."

And with that he walked away leaving the two with so many questions. Betty could see how upset Poppy was about their dads' sudden outburst, she walked over to her pulling her into hug saying, "We're gonna find her. I promise you, we're going to find her."

 _Every town has one._

 _The house on the haunted hill all kids avoid._

 _Now that Jason was buried in the earth, it would only be a matter of time until something poisonous bloomed._

 _In that long, cold shadow cast by his death._

 _Whatever grew in the rich black soil of the Blossom's garden always found its way to the town._

 _Weather it was murder. Or love. Or secrets._

 _Or lies._

Jughead, Betty, and Poppy were all in the blue and gold room Monday morning.

"Juggie, I feel like I don't even know who my mom and dad are anymore." Betty tells Jughead, whose leaning up against a desk.

"Betty...if your parents lied about Poppy and Jason and Polly, there's probably more that they liked about." Jughead replies, walking around the room.

"What do you mean?" Poppy asks him curiously.

"Your dad said he would do anything to protect Polly. So the next logical question is... How far would he go to protect her?"

The Cooper twins move closer to him and Poppy says, "Jughead, whoever broke into Sheriff Keller's house and stole all his evidence wasn't at the drive-in."

"My dad wasn't at the drive-in." Betty tells the two.

Jughead hands Betty a note card and she pins it to the murder board.

"We need to talk to Polly."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six : Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!**

 _Fear._

 _It's the most basic, the most human emotion._

 _As kids, we're afraid of everything._

 _The dark... The boogeyman under the bed..._

 _And we pray for morning. For the monsters to go away._

 _Though they never do. Not really._

 _Just ask Jason Blossom._

Mrs. Cooper walks into Betty's room where Betty and Poppy are sitting on her bed, one writing in their diary and the other drawing. Alice starts to put Betty's clothes in the drawer.

"Oh, mom, I forgot to mention. Me and Poppy invited Jughead over for breakfast."

"Hmm." She replies as she finished putting the clothes away.

Later that morning Jughead, Poppy, Betty and Alice are sitting at the table. Jughead eats while Betty and Poppy just pick at their pancakes.

"So, Jughead..." Mrs. Cooper says, breaking the silence. "I suppose we have you to thank for Betty's and Poppy's ongoing obsession with this Jason Blossom ghoulishness?"

Jughead gives Poppy a 'what the hell do I do look'. Betty steps in. "Actually, mom, I was the one who asked Jughead and Poppy to help me write it for the Blue and Gold."

Alice let's out a little laugh saying, "Relax, Betty. I'm just making conversation."

Jughead takes a sip of his orange juice and Betty gives him the signal. "Do you guys have a bathroom I could use?"

"Sure, I'll show you." Poppy says, slowly getting up from the table.

"No, no. I'll show him." Alice says getting up from the table. "Follow me..."

Jughead gets up from the table and follows Mrs. Cooper, hesitantly. Betty grabs her phone and gets up from the table and goes to their mothers purse, getting out her check book, while Poppy goes and keeps an eye out.

Betty takes pictures of all the check book pages.

 _Another fun fact about fear._

 _Sometimes it grows up with you._

 _Or it curls up inside of you, tightens around your guts._

 _Each fall, Riverdale High hosts a Variety Show._

 _But this even is no mere student frolic._

The three meet in blue and gold room and Betty reads off her phone, "The Sisters of Quiet Mercy."

"What is that? Like a church? Or a charity?" Betty asks.

Jughead types it into his computer and clicks on one of the links. "No..it's a home for troubled youths. Where disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect, enjoying loves of quiet reflection and servitude."

"Poor Polly." Betty and Poppy reply in unison.

Later that day they all meet back up outside and Betty days to Jughead and Poppy, " There's gotta be a reason my mom and dad don't want me to see Polly. But I don't care anymore."

"What are you guys talking about? Anything I can help with?" Archie asks.

"What the three of us are attempting is a stealth operation, Archie. If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang, forget it, we're compromised." Jughead replies, stealing one of Poppy's chips.

"Well, don't you have to practice for the Variety Show anyways?" Betty asks.

"Uh..no..I don't." He replies sadly.

"Except that yes, you do. Thanks to a certain Veronica-ex-machina." Veronica says walking over to the table.

"Excuse me." She says to Valerie so she can sit down.

"What do you mean?" Valerie ask, confused.

"Oh, nothing. Just that I had a few words with our director/ host, and reminded him that he's heard you sing on numerous occasions." Veronica tells Archie.

"Even though it compromises my artistic integrity." Kevin says but gets cut off by Veronica, "Cutting to the chase, you have a slot if you want it."

"Veronica, thank you, but you saw what happened."

"We all did." Kevin replies opening his apple juice.

"Playing my songs in front of you guys is one thing, but getting back up on that stage by myself... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."

"If it's a partner you're looking for, Veronica Lodge is more than willing and able."

"Veronica, I didn't know you could sing." The Cooper twins say in unison.

"Like a nightingale." She replies, "What do you say, Archiekins? Be the Jay to my Bey?"

He chuckles softly and basically says yes.

After school Poppy, Jughead, and Betty took a bus to The Sisters of Quiet Mercy.

"Hey. Don't judge a home for troubled youths by its facade, right?" He says trying to lighten the mood.

He looks at the twins as they both tighten their pony tails before heading inside.

"Hi, I'm Elizabeth Cooper and this is my twin Poppy. We're here to see our sister, Polly." Betty says to the old woman at the front desk.

"May I see some identification, please."

The two get out their IDs and show them to the lady. "Sign in here please."

They both write down their names and she says to Jughead, "He'll have to wait."

They follow the lady down a hall and says, "Polly's room is right this way. Though right now it's silent reflection time, and she usually spends that time in the Garden of Deliverance."

The two girls glance at her room before following the lady outside. She points to Polly and the two walk over to her seeing her slightly swolen stomach.

When they get closer Betty says her name grabbing her attention. Once she sees Betty she says, "Betty. Oh, my god."

They both laugh and hug each other. "You found us." She says smiling.

They pull away and Betty sees her stomach. "You're.." Betty says putting a hand on her older sisters stomach.

"Polly... you're... With Jason's..."

"Please be happy for, me Betty." Polly asks.

"I am, Polly." Betty replies.

"We both are." Poppy says causing the two to look at her.

Betty says to Polly, "I'm just.. I'm so sorry we didn't come sooner. I should've, but mom and dad... They stopped..."

"No. What did they tell you?" She asks. "That I was on drugs? Alcohol?"

"They said that you were sick. That you tried to hurt yourself." Betty tells her older sister.

"And they told me you didn't want to come and see me, which I knew was a lie." Polly replies and then turns to Poppy, "I also asked if they told you, but mom had no idea what I was talking about, and dad would answer me."

"So, they locked you up because you're pregnant?" Poppy asks, hugging Polly.

They pull away and she says, "It's because they couldn't control me. Mom and Dad hates that Jason and I were dating. They were thrilled when Jason broke up with me."

They walked through the garden. "Jason's parents forced him to break up with me. Of course they didn't approve of a Blossom boy dating a Cooper girl. But when I told him about the baby, our baby... Oh, he was so happy. We were gonna run away. Start our family in a beautiful place."

The three of them sat down on the bench and she continues, " So on July 4th, I woke up, I packed a bag, and I went downstairs to start my new life. Just like Jason and I had planned. We were going to meet on the other side of Sweetwater River. But Mom and Dad found out about everything. When I went downstairs, there was a woman I didn't know sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea with two men behind her."

"Oh, my God." The twins say to her in unison.

"They threw me in the back of a van. I was screaming. I don't think I stopped screaming until I got here, in this place. Have you talked to him? Does he know that I'm here?"

"Who, Polly?" Betty questions, with a confused look on her face.

"Jason." Polly answers. "If I give him a message, will you make sure it gets to him?"

"Polly, Jason..." Poppy tries to tell her but she cuts her off asking, "What does he think happened? He knows that I'm here because of Mom and Dad, right?"

Betty stands up and grabs he sister's hands saying, "Polly, you don't understand..."

Polly cuts her off saying, "I can fix this. I know I can. You two just have to help me get out of here, and then I'll go and to meet him. I'll go to the car on the lost highway off Route 40. Once you pass the old maple syrup sign, then you'll know you're almost there. See? I remember. I'm packed. We're packed. We'll go to the farm just like we planned..."

"Polly, stop." Betty says letting go of her hands.

"What's the matter, Betty? What? What is it?" Polly asks frantically.

Poppy and Betty both have a sad expression on their face.

"Jason..." Betty begins but she can't bring herself to say it.

"What? Did something happen to him? Something bad?" Polly asks, then puts two and two together, "Oh, my god. Oh, my God! I knew it. He's... He's... He's..."

She starts to cry and the twins both say that there sorry and hug her. The last at the desk says, "Come with me young ladies. Now."

They follow the lady and get brought to a room the two of them try to call Jughead but it doesn't work because there isn't a signal. The door opens and their mother walks in.

"Mom?" Betty questions. "What are you doing here?"

"I pay the Sisters good money. You think they don't notify me if Polly gets visitors?" Their mother replies grabbing both of their wrists dragging them out of the room and into the hallway.

Jughead behind them as they walk down the hall. When they get to an intersection Polly walks by and she asks when she sees her mom, "Mom?"

"Polly..." She starts.

Polly walks over to her mom angry and upset saying, "Jason's dead? And you didn't tell me? And you kept me in here?"

Her outburst alerts the guards at the end of the hall and her mother says as the guards grab Polly's arms, "Baby, it's for your own good."

"Ugh! You always say that. And it's not true!" Polly yells.

They start to drag Polly away and she yells reaching for the twins, "No! Betty! Poppy!"

The two go after her and Betty gets pulled back. Poppy grabs Polly's hand and tries to pull her away from them. Jughead goes to go after her but a guard stops him. Poppy hugs Polly and says, "I'm gonna get you out of here, I swear to God. I love you Polly."

Poppy gets pulled off and Polly screams, "No!"

Polly fights the guards and Alice grabs Poppy's arm. All four Cooper girls were crying, Jughead watched as they dragged her away. Poppy pulled her arm away from Alice and found her way to Jughead. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her, then later pulls Betty into a hug leaving Alice standing there tears streaming down her face.

Hal, Alice, Betty and Poppy were all in Betty's room, Poppy stood off in the corner.

"Polly needed to hear the truth. And we did, too." Betty says to her parents, you could hear the small hint of anger in her voice.

"So?" They're father questions as their mother sighs. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"To be honest, Dad, no, we didn't. You hate the Blossom's. You hated Jason, and now Polly is pregnant with his baby." Betty says and then Poppy adds, "That gives you a motive."

He looks at Poppy and asks, "A motive? A motive for what?"

"The night of the drive-in, did you break I to Sheriff Keller's house and steal his case files?" Betty asks causing him to ask, "What?"

"You weren't at the drive-in." Poppy tells him. "You weren't with Mom when she put Ms. Grundy in trial. Where were you?"

"Poppy, Betty, what do you think I did?" He asks, while Alice is trying to figure out why Poppy called her mom.

"Did you kill Jason Blossom?" The two ask in unison.

Alice starts to cry and laugh. "Him?" She asks. "You think that he killed Jason? Your father? You think he has the stomach for that?"

"Alice..." Hal starts but gets cut off by Alice saying, "I wish he'd killed Jason. I wish I had after what Jason did to Polly. I swear, Elizabeth, you're sounding crazy just like your sister."

"Stop saying that, mom." Betty says getting up from her bed. "She's not crazy..."

"She is, Betty." Their father says, "Okay, she is depressed and delusional. Did you two actually believe the story she told you? About running off to Never-Never Land and raising a family? That's a fantasy."

"I don't believe you." Betty says.

"You don't have to believe us. We're your parents." Alice says causing Poppy to laugh while tears were streaming down her face.

Alice leaves and Hal gives her a 'don't you dare tell her anything' look. After that he leaves and Poppy sits down on Betty's bed and pulls Betty into a hug.

The next morning Jughead climbed up to Poppy's window and started to knock on it. She got off her bed and opened it up, smiling. "Hey there, Juliet. Nurse off duty?"

He climbs in and asks her, "You haven't gone full Yellow Wallpaper on me yet, have you?"

She sighs and replies, "They're crazy. My real parent are crazy."

"They're parents. They're all crazy." He replies trying to make her feel better.

"No, buy what if... What if Polly is, too? The way she was talking to Betty, the way she looked at us... And now, all I can think is "Maybe I'm crazy like they are."

He puts a hand on her shoulder and let's out a sigh as he says, "Hey. We're all crazy."

She lets out a small chuckle and smiles. "We're not our parents, Poppy. We're not our families."

She nods and he says, "Also..."

He doesn't say anything so she asks, "What?"

He still doesn't say anything so she asks with a small smile on her lips, "What?"

He looks her in the eyes and then cups her face, bringing his lips to hers. It completely caught her off guard but she enjoyed every moment of it. She kisses back and brings her left hand to his check.

When they pull away she smiles and the quickly opens her eyes remembering something Polly said to them. "The car."

"Wow. That's what you're think about in the middle of our moment?" He asks, a smile on his face.

"No!" She replies walking to her desk. "Polly talked about a car Jason had stashed for them down Route 40 near some sign. If we can find it, we can confirm Polly's story."

"One way or another." Jughead replies.

"Betty." Poppy calls out, knowing her sister is near her door listening in on their conversation.

"Yeah," She asks almost falling on the floor. "I wasn't listening in on your guy's conversation at all. What so ever."

They both chuckle at Betty and Poppy says, "Come on we're gonna find the car."

Later that night they head out to Route 40 and find the old maple syrup sign. They all look around till they see the outlet near of a car. The three of them pull the tarp of the car and Jughead lifts the trunk up. They look through the car and find Jason's football jacket.

"What are those?" The twins ask.

"Drugs." He replies.

"Wait! Jughead, put it down!" Poppy yells, causing him to put it back. "This evidence. This is all evidence."

"Crap." He says, "This whole care is a crime scene."

He gets out his phone and starts to take pictures as it starts to rain. "Okay." Betty says. "We need to get Sheriff Keller and then we need to get Polly."

They got to the school and found Sheriff Keller. "Sheriff Keller."

"I got your text. What is it?" He asks, walking over to them.

Jughead pulls up the picture of Jason's jacket and Betty says, "Look, it's Jason's jacket."

"Where'd you get that?" He questions them.

"In the trunk of a car with a bunch of his other stuff." Betty replies, while Poppy finishes, "Jason was running away with Polly."

"Where's the car?"

They run out of the school and tell him where the getaway car is located.

 _Fear that those closest to you are the monsters._

 _Fear that as soon as you slay one, there's another monster waiting to take it's place_

The tree of them themselves run down the hallway to Polly's room.

 _Fear that there's one more boogeyman waiting at the end of the dark hall._

Betty opens the door to Polly's room and they her bedroom empty and the window smashed. "Polly?"

 _She was out there. Alone, bereft, unmoored..._

They walk over to the window and look down.

 _Where was she going?_

 _And what would she do next?_


End file.
